It is known to provide a closure panel on a vehicle such as a door, a hood, or a liftgate. The closure panel typically has a latch that operably engages a striker on the vehicle. For example, to open a door or maintain it in a closed position, the door may have a latch that operatively engages a striker mounted on a vehicle body of the vehicle. A hood may include a latch that operatively engages a striker mounted on the vehicle body, to retain the hood in a closed position relative to the vehicle body. Similarly, a liftgate may have a latch that operatively engages a striker mounted on the vehicle body, to retain the liftgate in a closed position relative to the vehicle body.
It is known that proper alignment between the latch and striker will improve the fit of the closure panel to the vehicle body. Improved fit will enhance the appearance and quietness of the vehicle. The latch and striker alignment is usually determined during vehicle assembly using a fixture.
For example, a liftgate may be divided into an upper portion and a lower portion, with each portion able to pivot between an open position and a closed position independent of the other portion. The upper portion may be made of a glass material. The liftgate includes a latch for holding the upper portion and lower portion of the liftgate closed relative to each other. A typical latch includes a first member mounted to the lower portion of the liftgate and a second member mounted to the first member. The upper portion of the liftgate includes a striker to engage the second member and is operatively positioned relative to the latch. During assembly of the vehicle, a fixture is used to adjust the second member relative to the position of the first member and the position of the striker. Further adjustment may be necessary after the latch is installed on the vehicle.
Proper alignment of the latch and striker improves the seal of the upper portion of the liftgate to the lower portion of the liftgate. Although the above latch works well, optimum alignment between the latch and striker requires the use of a separate fixture. A characteristic of this alignment method is that it is time consuming to achieve the desired accuracy. Thus, there is a need in the art to provide an improved latch for a closure panel that is self-aligning.